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This week in food and drink: Winter eats

USA TODAY Network
Published 7:08 a.m. ET Jan. 13, 2018

Oklahoma City’s Goro Ramen serves tongue-tickling spicy miso ramen and creamy chicken-based tori paitan ramen on the regular, and Monday night brings out the special bowls, like tsukemen, a dipping ramen that lets diners unite the noodle and sauce at their whimsy.(Photo: courtesy of Goro Ramen)

Alaska has a plethora of authentic and creative ramens, and Anchorage locals head to Ramen House by Saijo, where simple yet hugely flavorful shoyu, shio and miso ramen headline the menu.
Andrew Holman Photography

Asian-fusion restaurant and craft cocktail bar The Clever Koi has restaurants in both Phoenix and historic downtown Gilbert, Ariz., staffing butchers who break down the meat in house for dishes like pork belly ramen.
courtesy of The Clever Koi

For students (and pretty much anyone else) in New Haven, Conn., Midnight Ramen has become a late-night weekend fixture. Fridays and Saturdays from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., the pop-up serves four types of ramen, all to be topped with the diner’s choice of pork, chicken, beef or vegetables.
courtesy of Midnight Ramen

In Orlando, Domu adds to Florida’s heat by serving steamy, spicy bowls of ramen. House-made noodles are served in slow-cooked broths, ranging from chicken to pork based, and can be chased with craft cocktails from Domu’s bar.
courtesy of Domu

With six locations in Honolulu, Agu is Hawaii’s ramen spot. Traditional pork-based ramens are available as are more unusual creations like the Hot Mess, which has black garlic oil, garlic butter, garlic chips and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
courtesy of Agu

Indianapolis’ Ramen Ray specializes in Sapporo-style ramen and sources all of its essential ramen-making ingredients from Japan. Every bowl, based around a special miso broth, includes bean sprouts, onions and pork sautéed in flavored lard.
courtesy of Ramen Ray

Opened in 2016 by a chef from Yokohama, Japan, Yokohama Ramen Joint aims to bridge the culture between the Midwestern U.S. and coastal Japan in Wichita, Kansas. Black garlic oil adds a savory, slightly spicy flavor to bowls of traditional ramen.
courtesy of Yokohama Ramen Joint

Part of The Barn at Fritz Farm, the first official food hall in the state of Kentucky, Lexington’s Atomic Ramen is run by MasterChef’s Dan Wu, who originally launched his ramen restaurant as a pop up. On the menu: traditional ramen noodle soups and a cold ramen, drizzled with lemon-flavored mayo and sesame dressing.
courtesy of Atomic Ramen

The ramen at Cambridge, Mass.’s PAGU is unlike any other. Varieties include chef Tracy Chang’s signature dish, Guchi’s Midnight Ramen, which is based in a broth made of shiitake dashi, dried seafood dashi, and chicken and pork bone dashi, as well as a suckling pig ramen.
Matt Li

Nested inside Minnesota’s largest Asian grocery store, Minneapolis’ Unideli at United Noodles is indeed a hidden gem in the Midwestern ramen scene. A “beginner’s” tonkotsu introduces ramen newbies to traditional rich pork broth, and the tantanmen lays on the spice with Szechuan peppercorns and Thai chilies.
courtesy of Unideli at United Noodles

In St. Louis, Vista Ramen purveys four types of signature ramen, including its titular ramen, the Vista, a pork-filled, ginger-flavored steamy bowl of soup, and the fusion-inspired pozole-style ramen studded with hominy and cilantro.
courtesy of Vista Ramen

In Bozeman, Mont., Bisl creates gourmet ramen with farm-sourced ingredients. Bowls include a scallop-topped ramen with celery root and collards as well as a vegetarian bowl with caramelized leek and cabbage.
courtesy of Bisl

Giving Lincoln, Neb., its ramen fix is AmuManu Ramen Bar, which puts its own spin on traditional ramen styles, including tonkotsu, shoyu and miso. Any bowl can be ordered “Godzilla” style, that is, with many, many more noodles to soak up all that broth.
courtesy of AmuManu Ramen Bar

In Las Vegas, Ramen Tatsu serves hearty, savory ramen to help casino-goers recover from a long night. The traditional Japanese menu ranges from salt and soy-based broths to a spicy miso bowl topped with ground pork to twirl in thick noodles.
courtesy of Ramen Tatsu

O Ramen and Curry House, in Albuquerque. N.M., serves a wide variety of traditional ramens, including its signature Deluxe O Ramen, which is based in a milky tonkotsu broth and topped with wood ear mushrooms, seaweed, bamboo shoots and more.
courtesy of O Ramen and Curry House

Run by America’s ramen noodle purveyor, Sun Noodle, New York’s Ramen Lab functions as a nine-seat, pop-up ramen counter, hosting an ever-changing roster of chefs from the USA, Japan and beyond, to show off their unique ramens.
courtesy of Ramen Lab

Located in downtown Durham, N.C., Dashi cooks up a rich menu of traditional ramen styles, ranging from pork tonkotsu to soy sauce-flavored shoyu, all customizable with gluten-free rice noodles or toppings like local catfish, smoked chicken or pork meatballs.
courtesy of Dashi

In Grand Forks, N.D., Shing Ya is known for its wide range of Japanese dishes, including ramen, which can come topped with barbecue pork, corn and other traditional toppings.
courtesy of Shing Ya Japanese Cuisine

Oklahoma City’s Goro Ramen serves tongue-tickling spicy miso ramen and creamy chicken-based tori paitan ramen on the regular, and Monday night brings out the special bowls, like tsukemen, a dipping ramen that lets diners unite the noodle and sauce at their whimsy.
courtesy of Goro Ramen

Philadelphia’s Ai Ramen offers four types of customizable ramen, including its signature bowl based in pork broth and topped with umami-packed ingredients like black mushrooms and mayu garlic oil.
courtesy of Ai Ramen

In Charleston, S.C., Ms. Rose’s is known for its Tuesday ramen night. Bowls of toasted rye noodles are served in homemade broth with the optional additions of crisp chicken wings, beef bacon, brisket, kimchi and other unique toppings.
Kadence Photography

The plains of South Dakota still have plenty of space for more ramen shops to open, but in the meantime, Aberdeen’s gastropub The Brass Kettle, serves a duck breast ramen with homemade rye noodles, pickled ginger and radish, fried wontons and a soft poached egg.
courtesy of The Brass Kettle

In Tennessee, East Nashville’s Two Ten Jack is a Japanese-style pub that pours a long list of Japanese whiskeys to pair with its homemade ramen, which has a bit of Southern flare with ingredients like collard greens and burnt corn added in.
courtesy of Two Ten Jack

In San Antonio, Texas, Kimura serves four basic ramen bowls, with the option to customize each with toppings like pork belly, pork shoulder, bok choy, tofu, beef, a splash of the house’s secret spice, and other additions to make each ramen unique.
courtesy of Kimura

To warm up noodle lovers in snowy Montgomery, Vt., Miso Hungry serves authentic Japanese ramen out of a food truck. Noodles can be slurped near a fire pit or transported elsewhere, takeout style.
Andrew Lanoue

In Morgantown, W.V., Yama Japanese Restaurant serves a miso ramen, with thick, curly noodles and a shoyu, soy sauce-based ramen with thinner noodles, along with several other Japanese noodle dishes to complement the soup offerings.
courtesy of Yama Japanese Restaurant

The Handle Bar, at Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Jackson Hole, Wyo., hosts a pop-up ramen bar every Wednesday night, in partnership with chef Michael Mina. In addition to West Coast-influenced Japanese ramen, Japanese beers and snacks complete the warming meal.
courtesy of Four Seasons